Shifter troubles

Hey there Cycling citizens,
I have been having some issues recently with the shifting of the left shifters being exuberantly difficulty to shift. (Shimano Tiagra STI) It has gotten to the point where I cannot shift the front chain ring with one hand, which as you can guess is dangerous on a road bike.I was wondering if there is a semi easy/ quick fix to this issue or should I just pony up and take it to the nearest LBS?

 

Semi easy shot in the dark I hope it works is oil. The shifter itself has no consumer servicable parts. So plan on leaving that alone for your quick fix.

Place a few drops of oil inside the cable housings. Lubricate the cable guide under the bottom bracket. Lubricate all the pivot points on you front deraileur. Try it out. You may have solved your issue or you may end up at the LBS.

Good Luck

 

Thanks for the help Dave. I figured out that the tension of the shifter was due to an underlying problem with my cable tension. While looking over the cables again I noticed that the cable barrel was tightened way past where it needed to be. Adjusting that and the resulting slack in the cable worked wonders for the tension in the shifter. If I have a similar issue I will keep your advice in mind. Thanks again.

 

Nothing like fixing it yourself. Part of the fun of cycling./img/vbsmilies/smilies/icon14.gif